St Johns Wort

St John’s wort, scientifically known as Hypericum perforatum, is a flowering plant in the Hypercaceae family which has been used medicinally to treat depression and a wide variety of ailments for thousands of years. Other common names for this herb include: Johnswort, Amber, Touch-and-heal, Goat weed, Hardhay, Klamath weed, Rosin rose, Hypericum, and Tipton weed. St John’s wort gets its name from its traditional flowering and harvesting on St John’s day on the 24th of June. The name of the genus Hypericum is derived from the Greek terminology hyper (above) and eikon (picture) in reference to the traditional hanging of plants over religious pictures in the home on St John’s day in a bid to ward off evil. The plant has straight stalks and can grow up to 1m tall, with opposing, stalkless, narrow leaves approximately 1 – 2cm long. The leaves are green-yellow in colour and have scattered translucent dots which are highly conspicuous when held up to light. The flowers are yellow in colour, with 5 petals covered with black dots. It thrives in areas with either a winter or summer dominant rainfall pattern and will usually flower between late spring and early summer. While this herb is grown commercially in certain regions of south east Europe, it is considered a no

The benefits of frankincense oil can be obtained by topical application, inhalation via a diffuser or vaporizer, or by ingesting it in small amounts. For pain relief, massage the oil into the affected area. Using a diffuser, vaporizer, or inhaler works for the treatment of colds, coughs, and other respiratory conditions and blockages. Frankincense can be applied directly to the skin in most cases, or can be blended with carrier oils such as jojoba, coconut, or almond oils. Most packaging and labelling will describe whether or not that particular blend of oil will require dilution. When taking frankincense oil internally, it is best to dilute it in an edible carrier oil (such as coconut), or in a teaspoon of honey, in a glass of water, or in any non-acidic, non-dairy beverage. You can also put a drop or two beneath your tongue.It is thought that rubbing a few drops of the oil into the soles of the feet each day will help to strength

SAGE

Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial, evergreen dwarf shrub, which can grow up to 2 feet, and is characterized by woody stems, purple/blue flowers, and grey/green leaves. It is part of the mint family, Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean and the Balkan region (a peninsula and cultural area in South-eastern Europe). The botanical name, Salvia, is derived from the Latin word salvere which means ‘to be saved’. Sage was a sacred ceremonial herb of the Romans, being associated with immortality, and was used by the Greeks as a ‘coronary herb’ because it flushed disease from the body and relieved strain on the heart. In the Middle Ages sage was ingested as a tea to treat colds, fevers, memory and concentration loss, inflammations, ulcers, and many other ailments. There are approximately 8 different types of sage, each differing in appearance and use. These are:

Garden sage (Salvia officinalis): This is the most common type of sage, and is used for cooking, tea brewing, decoration, and medicinal use

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans): This variety of sage has tubular red flowers and is used mainly for medicinal purposes

GINSENG

Ginseng is any of the eleven types of short, perennial plants with fleshy roots belonging to the genus Panax of the Araliaceae family. There are three main types of ginseng: Panax ginseng (Asian), Panax quinquefolius (American), and Siberian ginseng and these are commonly found in Eastern areas of Asia, and North America. Siberian ginseng is cheaper and less potent than Panax ginseng, and while both types are adaptogenic herbs, Siberian and Panax ginseng have different active compounds (Siberian has eleutherosides rather than ginsenosides).

It is important to emphasise that the menopause is a natural event, not an illness. It is a transition from one stage of our lives into another. Medically speaking. the menopause is your very last period. When we talk about the menopause we normally mean the transition period, or the “change of Life”, which can span 15 to 20 years and the medical terminology for this time is “climacteric”. At the menopause you literally run out of eggs. You are born with about 2 million eggs and as you go through puberty you have about 750,000, and by the time your 45 you may only have about 10,000 left. ‘Healthy Eating for Menopause’ is designed to assist women with healthy food choices and information to help control menopause symptoms.